Ressurection
by Riku no kage
Summary: NOT TO BE CONTINUED. Only read if you want to see how much my writing style has changed. Or if you enjoy Mary Sues... Whatever floats your boat.
1. Door Away from Darkness

A/N: Yo, it's me again! No, I'm not quite done with the KH fics; I've just moved on to the next game. XD Hopefully, this fic, which isn't actually for CoM, but instead taking place in Reverse/Rebirth, won't drone on and on and on like the KH1 fics. There were only supposed to be three of those, and how many did I do? Too many, that's for sure! And I'm going to try a different format for breaks in the chapter, like between author's notes and POVs, instead of the dull, boring, severely-lacking-in-personality Horizontal Line that our gracious hosts give you. And before you can ask, I have beaten KH1, KH:CoM, and KH2, but not Reverse/Rebirth. Those key cards for the doors annoy the pee out of me, they really do. I got stuck in Twilight Town, for Pete's sake! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic, and I'll try my hardest to tone down Mizu's Mary Sue-ness, just to make certain parties less (how do I put this nicely?) titchy. Rejoice, as "titchy" is now a word!

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Riku groaned and opened his eyes, pushing himself up into a kneeling position.

"Where," he asked, hoping Mickey would hear him and be able to answer, but his voice was weak, so he tried again, struggling to his feet as well. "Where am I?"

"Sleep," answered a voice, but it held no familiarity for Riku. He was suddenly completelly awake, and a surge of adrenaline hit him as his hand immediatelly twitched towards his Soul Eater sword.

"Who's there?" he barked, muscles tensed, eyes darting around at the featureless, grey-ish mist surrounding him, looking for a sign of the owner of the voice.

"Sleep," the voice repeated. "Here, between light and dark."

"Between. . . What?" Riku asked. His mind immediatelly assessed his situation, and he realised something that chilled him to the bone.

"The king!" he yelped, sounding more worried than he had wanted to. "Where's the king? Together we closed the door to darkness, and after that. . ." Riku had to pause, feeling that something was desperatelly wrong here. He needed to know what was happening, where Mickey had gotten himself off to, and more importantly. . .

"Why can't I remember?" he demanded of himself with a growl. He was beginning to know how Mizu had felt for most of the past year or so, when she had had amnesia. But at least Riku could remember most of his past, if not what happened immediatelly after closing the door.

"Your king is far away," the voice answered, somehow seeming both sympathetic and indifferent. "Sleep," it insisted again, "and leave the war with darkness in his hands. The thorny light of awakening can only bring anguish to one in you state. Turn from the light. Shut your eyes."

_Mizu would kill me if I did,_ Riku thought absently. Instead of saying this out loud, however, he crossed his arms and glared off into the twilight mist, hoping his body language would announce most of his message.

"You talk like I'm some kind of demon of the dark," he said calmly, knowing that the voice would hear him no matter how quietly he spoke.

"Can you face the truth?" the voice asked, not--quite--mockingly. (A/N: Just as an asside, and because I currently have a dictionary in my lap, did you know that the word "quite" originates from the Latin word "quietus," meaning "freed of"? Yes, I read the dictionary for fun.) Riku nearly jumped out of his skin when a globe of black energy--there really was no other way to describe it--descended right in front of him and began to orbit his head.

"Here, blanketed by the darkness, sleep is safety," the voice continued, somehow managing to be heard over the annoying whirring of the orb even though it's volume and inflection was still the same monotone it had been. "Sleep is eternal."

"Is this," Riku asked, completelly stunned, not to mention confused, "a card?"

"It is a door to the truth," the voice corrected. "Take it, and your sleep ends. Take it, and take the first step towards the truth. But know this: The truth will bring you pain. Will you still go? There can be no returning to the sweet security of sleep."

Riku reached out and took the card from the orb, which vanished after completing it's duty.

"Yeah, well," Riku said with a contemptuous, slightly-superior grin. "Seems like a boring place to take a nap anyway."

"Well said, Riku," the voice congratulated, a faint note of amusement tinting it slightly. There was a flash of light, and Riku found himself within a cold, blueish-white marble hallway. He looked down at the card in his hands, taking note of the almost perfect replica of Hollow Bastion on the cards front.

"A door to the truth, huh. . ."

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A/N: I like writing prose from a script. It's fun, and you get to add your own "take" on how the characters are supposed to react, or their internal feelings or thoughts that you don't get from playing the game, or subtle things that you don't notice in the sprites on the GBA, like Riku tensing, instinctively reaching for his weapon, and things like that. Seriously, if you haven't tried it before, you really should, I'm totally not kidding you! I don't know why no one else has tried taking the scripts and writing them in prose, because there is no way I could possibly be the first one to come up with that. Maybe that should be a project for fan-authors, this way we can see how each other interprets the games and whatnot, and we have a better idea of the motivation or intuited personality behind the actions in the more serious fanfics that aren't actually based in the game. Think we should try it?


	2. Shadows of Memory

A/N: Well, I hope y'all liked the first chapter. I'm gonna have fun with this fic, let me tell you, and I so can't **_wait_** to do the fight scene between Maleficent and Riku! BTW, I'm playing with the break format thing again, so be warned.

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Acting purely on instinct, Riku held the card for Hollow Bastion up to the white marble door in front of him. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't what he got! As soon as his eyes were done watering from the unexpected flash, he pushed on the doors, expecting to have to strain to open them, but to his surprise, they glided open silently and easily.

His eyeballs nearly rolled out of their sockets in surprise at what he saw.

"This is Maleficent's castle!" he blurted before even thinking about it. "How'd I end up _here_?" He closed his gaping mouth and crossed his arms thoughtfully, trying to puzzle out the recent events. "Someone must have brought me here while I was sleeping," he reasoned. "But who?"

"What you see is not real," the voice Riku had heard earlier answered. Riku nearly jumped out of his skin, not expecting to hear the voice again so soon, then gritted his teeth. It had been a _rhetorical_ question, after all! "It's the world of your memory."

"My memory?" Riku blurted without thinking again.

"The things you remember of Maleficent's castle from your time there," the voice answered. "Those memories became a card, and that card made this world. The things you see - you've seen them all before, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Riku admitted softly, the memories quickly coming back to him. He shook them off, though, and concentrated on the immediate situation, and looked off into the depths of the castle, not knowing if he was actually looking towards the owner of the voice or not.

"So what now?" he demanded. "Am I supposed to learn something while I'm here? Maybe run into someone I know?"

"Ordinarily," the voice admitted after a short, thoughtful pause, "yes. You would meet the people in your memories."

"Ordinarily?" Riku mocked, turning it into a question. His temper frayed just a tiny bit more at the lack of an answer he recieved. "Hey, I'm asking you a question!"

He waited in vain a moment more, then snorted contemptuously and scowled, hoping the speaker saw it.

"Fine," he spat. "But it'd better be you I run across next, Voice. I'm sick of talking to thin air."

He turned on his heel and began to walk off, shoving his hands into his pockets, and coming in contact with a new set of cards. He pulled them out and looked at them, noting the familiar designs. One was a crowned heart similar to the pendant Mizu had given him when he last saw her, another card was emblazoned with the Heartless crest, and the final one bore the Kingdom Key Keyblade. For a second he puzzled what the cards could possibly be for, but the logic - or lack thereof - was fairly obvious. They were keys, like the card of Hollow Bastion had been. He needed them to get through this palace. Floor. Room. Whatever.

Deciding that any direction was as good as the next, he set off in the direction he was facing, looking around for a door, and keeping an ear open for danger. Lucky he did, otherwise the Heartless would have made short, easy prey of him.

There was a soft scrabbling noise behind him, the sound of claws trying to find a decent purchase in the smooth tile of Hollow Bastion's floors. Riku's muscles tensed instictively, and he listened hard for any accompanying Shadows. He made the mistake of forgetting that some Heartless, such as the Dark Balls and Wizards, could fly.

He was hit from behind by a large, blunt force, knocking him to his knees. In a blink, he wipped his Soul Eater out and around behind him, aiming for the Dark Ball that was bobbing tantalizingly out of reach. The Dark Ball made to swoop again, and Riku swung his blade out before him, but the Dark Ball got in past his defenses yet again. Riku knew there was a parry that would be perfect in this situation - in fact, he had just tried using it! - but he couldn't remember how to do it!

_What's going on?_ his mind screamed in a near-panic. _Why can't I remember how to fight?_

"Try the cards!" someone shouted, but it was a completelly different voice than the one from earlier. This one was soft, high, and feminine - and completelly unfamiliar, which was not the case the last several times he heard a female voice in his head.

"Cards again?" he growled under his breath, ducking another blow. Then he realised what she had meant - there was another set of cards in his pockets besides the keys! He fished one out, glanced at it, and noted a detailed drawing of a move that, though effective in normal circumstances, did him no good at all right now! He tried another one, simultaneously jumping behind the Dark Ball right into the Shadow's path. Right now was actually a good time for that first card...

Remembering the technique on the card, he tried it, and performed flawlessly, dropping to one knee and swiping his sword out in front of him, taking the Shadow firmly in the shoulder with the sharp, uneven edge of the blade. The Shadow immediatelly disolved into darkness, and the card vanished.

_So,_ he reasoned,_ once I use one of those cards, I can't use it again. So what happens when I run out?_

That was something he really didn't want to find out when he was outnumbered by Heartless, no matter how small the margin, in the middle of a disturbingly-familiar castle. So he thought of an attack he hadn't used or tried yet, and decided on one that was completelly unorthodox at the best of times, but just might be useful against the astoundingly stupid Dark Ball Heartless.

He chucked his sword at the damned thing.

When the Dark Ball had finally dissolved into darkness, Riku fell over on his rump, out of breath, and stared at the card and jems lying on the floor where the Heartless had been.

"You have got to be kidding me," he groaned, staring at the pile in disbelief. "More cards?"

He fished around in his pockets for the cards he had used to fight with, and noticed that there was almost an entire deck of them! Each of the cards had a familiar move inscribed on them, as well as a number. One of the cards was green and showed a potion bottle on it. He could just imagine what _that_ was for!

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A/N: Okay, I know there aren't any cards in Reverse/Rebirth, or even any combination of cards, that will allow Riku to pull of a Strike Raid, but I like the concept anyway and it's just so damned fun to pull off! Besides, Riku seems more like the "chuck things at enemies, ask questions later" type than Sora does.


	3. A Spy Among Us

CHAPTER 3 - A SPY AMONG US

A/N: Sorry for the delay, though it doesn't really look like anyone cares. And here's a new break format, I hope you like it. I spent hours coming up with different ones that are usable on this site, and now I'm gonna try to see which one from the SIX FREEKING PAGES looks the best. -shrug- Oh, and you also get the chapter title with the actual chapter now. Huzzah!

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"It's like he said," Riku mumbled to himself. "Everything's just how I remember it. Even this room. . ."

"It must be nice being back in your old bedroom," the Voice said, the slightest hint of mockery evident. "Think of all the memories."

"You again," Riku said, tinging his voice with only a small portion of the annoyance he really felt. "Sorry, but these memories I could do without. Maleficent gave me this room."

"So she did," the Voice conceded. "And you lived here, tempted by the darkness she offered. You cast away your home, your friends, everything. . . But at least they gave you a nice room."

"Shut up," Riku snapped. There was a slight snicker, and Riku felt the presence that usually heralded the voice withdraw.

"I really hate this place," Riku growled to himself.

He took one last look around his old bedroom and left, searching for the next room he would find. It wasn't all that difficult to locate, save for the Heartless ambushing him every few feet.

When he got to the next doorway capped with a white-blue marble crown, he pulled out the heart-marked card. On closer inspection, it didn't have the gold crown that Mizu's pendant did, but Riku still felt the inscription was important somehow. He payed the door's price, and entered another familiar room.

"No one here, either," he growled under his breath. "There's nothing but Heartless in this castle."

He looked up at the ceiling, scowling, and quite ready to lash out at the first available target.

"Voice!" he yelled. "I know you're watching - so explain this.Where are the people from my memories? Tell me!"

"Are you sure you want to see them?" was the mocking reply. Riku hesitated a moment, biting his lip and looking out at the room again.

"Of course I do," he said, voice quavering only slightly.

"But you cast them aside," the Voice pointed out. "To reach the outside world, you passed through the door to darkness. Behind you, you left family, friends, home - everything - all in persuit of darkness."

"But I cast that aside, too!" Riku snarled, clenching his fists.

"Then what do you have to show for it? First your home, then the dark. Your heart only knows how to throw things away. It's empty, like that room. Like your memories. That's why no one is in the castle with you. Your heart is hollow except for the darkness you couldn't quite shake off."

"You're full of it!" Riku yelled. "I rejected the darkness!"

A deep-throated chuckle met his words, and Riku could almost see the mocking grin behind the laugh.

"Ha ha ha. . . Did you really, now?"

"Yeah, he did," snapped a voice from behind Riku. He turned to see who it was, and his face lit up in a grin at the sight of Mizu, still bandaged from his attack. When Mizu drew up even with him, she turned a glare to the ceiling and snarled, "You gotta problem widdat?"

The Voice chuckled again, and Mizu's scowl deepened, her brows drawing down to a fierce point over her nose.

"Ah, wadda you know, ya putz?" she snapped. "You ain't met the kid, you ain't got no right ta judge him. Leave that ta those who know 'im best. Gottit?"

"I know him well enough to judge him, Mizu," the Voice drawled. "And despite your beliefs, his heart is still steeped in darkness."

"Ya don' know 'is heart," Mizu mocked, her scowl turning into a smirk.

"And you do?"

"Better'n you, I'll wager. Yeah, I know 'is heart. An' yeah, there is darkness there. But it ain't _your_ darkness, a'ight? Leave 'im be. He's no pawn of yours."

The Voice chuckled again, then seemed to leave them alone. Riku couldn't help himself, and pulled Mizu into a fierce hug.

"Thank you," he whispered, releasing her.

"Ah, yeh didn' need my help," Mizu said, though she blushed slightly. She opened her mouth to say something else, then paused, blinking a few times before pressing her face into her hands. "Oi, my grammer's shot again, huh? Goin' back t' my street accent."

"I thought you sounded different," Riku teased. Mizu took a deep breath, eyes closed, then let it out in a long sigh and grinned up at him.

"Sorry," she said, sounding more like her usual self. "That happens a lot when I'm angry. But what about you, are you okay?"

"Fine," Riku said. "Why?"

"Well, it's this whole 'memory' fiasco," she admitted, waving her hand vaguely to indicate the entire floor and the halls. "I think I know what's going on; they were planning it the last time I was here. Or something like this, anyway. It was before Sora got the Keyblade, and I don't know if Mickey had his at the time or what, but it was a bit over a year ago. Anyway. . ."

Riku let out an undignified yelp as Mizu grabbed him around the head and pulled him down to kiss him long and hard. He had barely gotten over his surprise to return it when she let him go.

"Sorry to do this to you, but I gotta go," she said. "Will you be okay on your own for a while?"

Riku sighed, as he had been hoping he wouldn't have to go through the rest of this place alone, but nodded.

"I'll have to be, won't I?" he asked.

"Basically," Mizu admitted, still with a firm but gentle grip on his head. "But it's not like I've never disobeyed orders before, so I _could_ stick with you for a while. But you are supposed to finish most of this on your own. At least until back-up comes, but I gotta be actin' the spy for a while. Huh, maybe I shouldn't have said that out loud. . ."

"I don't think anyone heard us," Riku admitted. "And unless you're supposed to be spying on that voice, I don't think anyone could hear you but me."

"Well, that's a plus," Mizu admitted with a shrug. "I gotta call up an old buddy of mine. Well, an old contact, anyway. I can't make heads or tails of this guy."

"What - ?"

"Never mind. Before you can ask, yes it'll be dangerous, and no, you're not coming with. Frankly, I need you to be the bait for a while. Makes it easier for me to slip in to my old niche if they're distracted."

"Do I even want to know?"

"Nope," Mizu said with a mischevous grin. "Less worry that way."

"What?"

"Hah! I know _that_ tone! Don't worry, it's nothing I can't handle. In fact, if I wind up with problems, I'll know everything's goin' great. There was always some friction between some of us."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing at all!" She kissed him again, then skipped - merrily skipped, which was a really rare sight - away, waving back at him. "I'll see you in a bit, love!"

Riku stared after her for a moment, then chuckled and shook his head. He had only known her for a year, but he was used to the way she could go from serious to skipping like a kid in under a second. That girl didn't _have_ mood swings, she _was_ a mood swing. Shaking his head again, Riku walked out of the room, looking for his next destination and the door that required the final key.

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A/N: Yup, it's official. Mizu's weird.


	4. Contacts Renewed

CHAPTER 4 - CONTACTS RENEWED

A/N: I got a review! And it wasn't a flame! Yay, I'm so happy! Thank you, StAnThEpLuNgErMaN so much, I'm really glad you like my work. It's a lot of fun writing this stuff, so I'm really, really glad that someone likes it. I'll get to work on the next chapter right away. Besides, it'll be a fight scene, so I need to get to work anyway.

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"You sure about this?"

Mizu sighed and tilted her head back.

"Yes, I'm sure. I don't know of how else I can be useful around here," she said for the thousandth time. "Besides, I'm the only one who can manage to pull this off anyway. I'm the only person who could possibly get - "

"Shh!" came the hurried request. "We don't know if they're listening or not."

"They're not," Mizu insisted. "I'd know. C'mon, old friend, trust me."

"I do trust you. It's _them_ I don't trust."

"I know, and I understand, really I do. But I can't exactly be effective if you keep worrying about everything."

"Remember how we met?"

"That is not the point here, I've grown a lot more cautious since then! Look, either you trust me or you don't, it's as simple as that."

"I trust you," was the immediate reply. "Just not to keep yourself out of danger."

"I won't _be_ in danger, you worrywart!" Mizu snapped, losing all patience with her friend. "I have old friends here, they'll be glad to have me back. And those that won't be never liked me in the first place, they're not gonna think anything's up."

"But what about Riku? I know you're gonna worry about him."

"I worry about him all the time. It's not gonna change anything."

There was a sigh, and Mizu looked down at her companion, noticing how he still looked worried.

"Please," she pleaded, "trust me in this."

There was another sigh, and he didn't look at her as he replied.

"I trust you, Mizu."

Mizu held back a triumphant grin and leaned down to kiss him lightly on the top of his head, then trotted off down the hall towards a very cleverly hidden door.

"Well," said a voice as soon as she had shut it behind her. She gasped involuntarily and spun around, pressing her back against the door, to see a man in a black hooded cloak with long, red hair, green eyes, and a smirk. "Never expected to see you back."

"Axel!" Mizu exclaimed, not knowing whether to run up and hug him or draw her knives.

"What," Axel teased, laughing, "don't I get a hug?" Mizu grinned and wrapped her arms around his neck, having to stand on tip-toe to get up there, and even kissed him on the cheek for good measure.

"You know I could never figure you out," she admonished lightly. "What's goin' on these days, huh?"

"A bit of trouble," Axel admitted with a rueful sigh. "I won't lie to you, the Organization is splitting."

"Say what?" Mizu said, her voice taking on a lower tone that meant she was not at all pleased to hear the news and quite ready to slice something up to fix it. "How? I thought - "

"We all thought, kiddo," Axel sighed.

"But why? And who's splitting you all up?"

"Marluxia," Axel said, then, at Mizu's confused look, added, "You've never met him."

"Anyone I know splitting off?"

"Larxene."

"Damn. I liked her."

"And Vexen and Marluxia are the only other ones. But, Marluxia's trying to take Namine with him."

"Axel, you know it's been well over a year. Who's Namine?"

"You'll know her when you see her," Axel said, patting Mizu on the shoulder.

"What, are you taking me to her or something?" Mizu asked, honestly bewildered by this. She still didn't know if she could trust Axel, but she was quite willing to play along if she had to.

"You catch on quick. Listen, you're the only one I can trust to help me out here."

"What're you up to, Axel?"

"Double-crossing the double-crossers," Axel said with a grin.

Mizu threw her head back and laughed, an answering grin spreading over her face.

"Oh, this is going to be _so_ much fun!" she said, still laughing.

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Riku slashed at the last of the Shadow Heartless, then proceeded to the final door. He took out the keycard he needed, and held it up, opening the door, and steeling himself to what he might find inside. When the door had opened completely, he took a few steps in before it slammed shut behind him.

He turned to stare at the newly closed door - the rooms had never shut themselves on him before. Then, shrugging it off, he continued through the dark, bleak, dungeon-like room.

"I knew you're return, Riku," Maleficent purred, her face a mask of unholy glee and hatred.

"Maleficent!" Riku exclaimed, his hand instinctively moving to clutch the hilt of his sword.

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A/N: I think I'm finally learning how to make these fics look like actual, published work! Or at least a little less like they were done by a complete novice. . . Pity that font changes don't work here, because I have the coolest text for the titles! If you're curious, and have this font on your computer, it's CAC Champagne. For the KH1 fics, I used CAC Valiant, and I'll probably use a different one for KH2. Probably CAC Shishoni Brush. And it's size 24, italicised, and underlined for Champagne. I always underline titles. I don't know why, though.


	5. To Fight the Dark

CHAPTER 5 - TO FIGHT THE DARK

A/N: Dude, I just found out this morning (8-19-2006) that Haley Joel Osment (a.k.a. Sora if you didn't know) does weed. He hit a mailbox and broke a rib, and now they're charging him with drunk driving and marijuana possession. I am totally not kidding you, it was in the paper and everything!

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"You're alive?" Riku demanded, incredulous. He distinctly remembered Ansem using _his_ body and _his _Keyblade to unlock Maleficent's heart, and Sora and his friends completelly destroying the witch! So how in the world could she possibly be here?

"You haven't been paying attention," Maleficent taunted in her usual patronizing tone. "I am but a figment of your memory."

Riku paused a moment, then grinned, discovering that he was, in fact, quite pleased with this scenario.

"Of all the people I could run into," he drawled, "it had to be you."

"Who else?" Maleficent asked with a haughty wave of her hand. "Your heart is steeped in darkness. You can only see people who exist in that same darkness - people like me."

"No," Riku gasped, completelly stunned by her words. Although, they did certainly explain why he had only seen Mizu so far, but she wasn't a memory. It was disgusting, but the witch was making perfect sense.

"Be grateful you have someone to keep you company," Maleficent teased with a grin that was bordering on a leer. "Your heart is empty. Where it not for the darkness in your heart . . . you would be completely alone."

"That's sounding pretty good right about now," Riku snarled.

"Come, now," Maleficent laughed. "You once clung to me to sate your hunger for darkness. You want me here. Who else but I can give you the darkness you long for?"

Again, Riku had to pause and consider her words. For all that she was merely a memory now, Maleficent was making far, far too much sense, and hitting too close to the mark for Riku's comfort. He took a moment to search his heart, his feelings, and finally admit the truth about both not only to Maleficent, but to himself as well.

"There was a time I did want you around," he admitted, fists clenched and eyes fixed on the ground. "I surrendered my heart to the dark. But never again." He clenched his fists tighter, and stared Maleficent straight in the eyes, facing his past - as well as his fears. "You and your darkness have nothing to offer. All I did was lose myself. . . Empty myself! I'm finished with all that. If I'm stuck seeing people like you, people of the dark . . ."

He pulled out his Soul Eater sword, took a fighting stance, and announced his decision.

"I'll take you out one by one."

"Then don't forget to take yourself out last," Maleficent said, not even phased by the threat. "Because you, like me, are one of the dark."

"That's fine with me," Riku spat. "I turned to the darkness because my heart was weak. I hate that weakness. It's like I'm my own enemy. And seeing people like you embrace the darkness just makes it worse! Enough talk, Maleficent."

"So you hate the darkness enough to fight it," Maleficent mused, then burst out laughing with her maniacal, high-pitched cackle. "Oh, the agony you must feel! Let me end your pain, Riku - end it forever with the wondrous power of darkness!"

Riku leapt back from the green-tinged flames that suddenly erupted from her body, engulfing her. He'd seen this transformation before, so he knew what to expect. He leapt back again, narrowly avoiding the snapping maw, slicing at her muzzle with his sword. He caught her, and she snapped her neck back, shaking her head as though trying to rid it of a troublesome fly. He started to dart in to attack her vulnerable belly, but she spat fire at him and he had to jump back again.

He barely noticed as the fire surrounded him, but Maleficent was stupid enough to throw her weight around, and just enough of the ceiling fell in that Riku could climb up on top of it and avoid the fires while continuing his attack.

Leafing through the deck of cards he needed to fight, he noticed a new one that he hadn't had before. It was green, and emblazoned with what looked like King Mickey's seal. Shrugging, he decided to try it.

The fires went out and Maleficent was stunned by the bright flash of light brought on by the card, and Riku used this opportunity to get in close to her and spend his card-moves recklessly. He had just barely begun to break through the armor-like scales, though, when Maleficent regained her senses and lashed out at him with one of her fore-claws. Riku tried jumping back, but was caught on the chest and sent tumbling onto his backa few feet away. He spent a brief moment trying to get his breath back, and rolled away from the claw that was descending on him to pin him to the floor.

Back on his feet, but still winded, Riku spent his last few cards trying to keep the claws at bay, but. . .

"What am I supposed to do without any cards?" he growled, searching his pockets while trying to stay out of the lines of attack and fire. He looked up just in time to roll to the side to avoid another swipe with a claw, and twisted his ankle in the process. Then, miraculously, he found another card.

Without pausing, he used the card, a green one with what looked like a potion bottle stamped on it. Immediatelly, he noticed that his ankle didn't hurt anymore and his breathing was steady again. His chest also seemed to be bleeding less, but that might have been natural.

He also found all of his cards back, including the one with King Mickey's seal.

He used a card to parry the next few attacks, then used the King card. Maleficent was stunned again, and Riku pulled the same trick he had last time, whaling away at the exact same spot and thankful that Maleficent didn't have any cards that could heal her. Slowly, but inexorably, Maleficent's armor was chipped away.

He broke through to her soft flesh before she recovered from the flash of light, and plunged his sword into her heart.

Maleficent screamed, rearing back on her haunches, her fore-claws clutching at the wound that still had Riku's sword sticking out of it. Her claws scrabbled over her own scales as she tried to remove the blade, but she couldn't get a grasp on it. Eventually, after Riku and the entire room was liberally sprayed and splattered with her black blood, she keeled over and died, her body fading away into the darkness she had loved so much.

Riku took a moment to catch his breath, bent over and bracing himself upright with his hands on his knees. He barely even noticed how badly he was shaking, but he could definitelly feel Maleficent's blood all over him. It made him feel dirty, like he'd just been rolling around in a landfill.

When his breathing was back to normal and his legs had stopped shaking, Riku stood erect and walked over to his Soul Eater, which was stuck point-first in the ground. Laying around it were the gems he had found after defeating the Heartless, as well as another card. This one was black, and depicted Maleficent in her dragon form. Figuring it could come in handy like all the rest of the cards, Riku stuck it at the end of his fighting deck.

Wiping the blood from his face, Riku headed towards the door, only looking back once to say, "Good riddance."

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A/N: I love writing fight scenes. I don't know why, I just do. They're kinda fun. And Sora still does weed. XD If you think I'm gonna let this just fly by you've got another thing coming! The only question is, does it still qualify as a crack fic if people are doing weed in it? For that matter, is it still a crack fic if you were writing it while way-past-drunk-but-not-quite-dead-yet-because-you-_really_-shouldn't-have-had-that-eighth-can-of-rootbeer?


	6. Nemesis

CHAPTER 6--Nemesis

A/N: Something tells me I should update more often. . . Seriously, it's been a few weeks since I posted, hasn't it? I accuse my mother. She wants me to get a job. I want me to get a job, too, but I blame Mom anyway. Because I've been looking for a job instead of working on my fics. And I know that's no excuse! Just because I'm broke and need a job so I can pay for college and move out of the house and buy a car doesn't mean I should neglect my fics!

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Riku unlocked the door to the last room, and was relieved to see it was more of an anteroom than anything. Scratching at some of the black, dried, crusted blood on his face from the fight with Maleficent, Riku stepped into the room, and noticed a glass, diamond-shaped statue of some kind that actually looked like it contained an entire galaxy in it. Curious, and because it didn't look dangerous, Riku got close to it - close enough to touch it. Which he did, of course.

There was a sudden jolt running up his fingers, to his arm, and eventually spreading throughout his entire body. He snatched his hand away, staring at the object, wich continued to twinkle in universal innocence. He shook the remaining tingly feeling from his hand, then looked at it as though checking for injuries. He noticed that the black blood from Maleficent was gone from that hand, and that arm, and. . .

What was this thing, a speed-shower?

But that wasn't it; not only was Maleficent's blood gone, but his own as well. And the rips in his shirt were mended fawlessly. Hastilly, he unzipped his shirt to check the scratches he'd gotten, but they weren't there. There wasn't even a scar to prove that they ever had been!

"This place," Riku said, still staring at his completelly healed chest, "is really starting to creep me out."

Zipping his shirt back up, Riku gave the statue-thing one last look before heading out through the door leading to a white marble hallway.

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"Axel, there's a few things you should know about me."

"Like what?"

"Like, I have a boyfriend, and he's here right now, so I might need to help him out a bit," Mizu admitted, somehow managing not to blush.

"Who?" Axel asked, looking slightly stunned and a little curious. "Sora?"

"Sor-" Mizu started to ask, completelly shocked. "He's here too? What about Donald, and Goofy? What's happened, are they all right?"

"Whoah, whoah, slow down!" Axel said, holding up his hands. "Yes, Sora's here, and so are Donald and Goofy, and they're in a bit of trouble."

"Figures," Mizu said, grinning slightly. "That kid practically invites trouble. But what happened? Are they okay? They're not hurt, are they?"

"Well," Axel said, obviously stalling.

"Axel!"

"All right!" Axel said, backing up a step. "Physically, they're fine. But Marluxia has Namine rearranging their memories to replace herself with Kairi, and - "

"WHAT?"

"Jeese, you can yell! Look, just hold _still_ - "

Axel grabbed Mizu by the shoulders as she tried to push past him down the corridor off the main hall, picked her up, and all but slammed her back down on her feet in front of him.

"There, that's better," he said when she had finally stopped struggling. He let go of her and crossed his arms over his chest, giving her a _look_ she hadn't ever seen him use. "Y'know, you're acting different. You weren't usually this hot-headed."

"Oh, yeah I was," Mizu said, though she stayed put. She had bitten her tongue when Axel had slammed her back on the ground, and really didn't want to repeat that scene again. "But I'll tell you later. _What_ is going on around here, and _why_ the hell is Sora involved?"

Axel sighed and, with exaggerated care, put a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe you'd better sit down. . ."

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"Why do you shun the dark?"

Riku stopped, snorted, and rolled his eyes, barely containing his smirk.

"Oh, come on," he said. "I know you heard every word I said to Maleficent."

"Darkness is your weapon. I need you to accept it."

"What do you care?" Riku scoffed, having a distinct sense of deja-vu.

"Stop resisting, and accept the darkness. You must. . ."

Riku felt a distinct change in the atmosphere around him, but he couldn't quite place it. It was as though something really subtle had just changed, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could find out what it was.

". . .if you are to serve me again!"

"Ansem," Riku growled as the man appeared in front of him. "Just as I thought."

"You're not surprised?" Ansem asked, grinning much like Maleficent had - meaning he was coming perilously close to leering at the boy.

"You always were chatty when it came to darkness," Riku said conversationally, then leveled a glare at the man. "So let me guess. . . You want to pull me back in to the darkness and play puppet master again. . . right?"

"Clever boy. You'll make a fine host. Now, surrender to me again, and - "

"You're insane!" Riku spat. "There won't be an 'again!'" Riku hastilly whipped out his Soul Eater and lunged at Ansem, aiming for where the man's heart should have been.

Ansem casually raised his arm, sweeping Riku away with an intense, highly concentrated blast of pure darkness. Riku flew back down the hall and landed face-first on the hard marble floor, skidding a few feet before his body finally came to a halt. He groaned, too stunned to move.

"Did you really think you could harm me?" Ansem mocked. "A weakling like you couldn't even defeat Sora, and you had darkness on your side."

"Excuse me for," Riku grunted, finding just enough strength to be snarky, "being weak. . ."

"You need the darkness," Ansem sneered. "Submit! Bow to the darkness, and bow to me."

"Not a," Riku grunted, now struggling to get up, "chance. . ."

"Only darkness can help you now," Ansem said, doing his best to sound calm and reasonable.

"You're wrong!" came a call from a glowing orb of light.

"That voice," Riku muttered, not daring to believe it. He finally got to his knees, and stared at the orb incredulously, a grin threatening to spread across his face. "Your Majesty, is that you?"

"You betcha!" Mickey said in his usual, cheery way. Riku felt himself begin to smile sincerely for the first time in what felt like forever. "Riku," Mickey continued soothingly, "you're not alone."

The orb of light came to hover at eye level barely a foot away from Riku, and, strangely, he was comforted just by seeing it.

"Listen careful now, Riku," Mickey continued, his voice growing stern, the way Mizu's would when she was doing her level best to be both serious and comforting at the same time. "The light'll never give up on you. You'll always find it, even in the deepest darkness! But you have to believe!"

"I will," Riku vowed, though it came out coupled with a sincere laugh of relief. The orb of light winked out, but Riku knew that Mickey was still there, making sure he was all right. "Hear that?" Riku snarled, now climbing to his feet. "I'm not loosing to the darkness today, Ansem!"

"You think some feeble light can save you from the darkness I command?" Ansem sneered, almost laughing. "Fool!"

He held out his hand, an orb of darkness concentrated in his palm, and Riku immediatelly dropped into a defensive position, Soul Eater set to deflect any blow Ansem might send his way. . .

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A/N: Is "snarky" even a word? Ah, well, it is now!


	7. Never Give In

CHAPTER 7--Never Give In

A/N: I want to thank everyone - all two of you! - for the reviews I've gotten so far. It's great to know _someone_ is reading my stuff and likes it at least enough to comment on it! And if there's _anyone_ out there reading my fics and _not_ commenting on them, I really, really want to know what you think, even if this is the biggest sack of bung you've ever read. Or whatever you want to call it. . . Your opinions mean a lot to me, good, bad, or down-right horrendous! And if you have any suggestions or requests or anything, please let me know, I wanna hear about those, too! Okay? Okay!

P.S: In case you didn't notice, I settled on a break format I like.

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"Awright, so lemme get this straight," Mizu said, arms crossed and doing her level best _not_ to glare daggers at Axel. "Sora was somehow lured here so that Marluxia could use Namine to erase his memories of Kairi, and replace those memories with memories of her - as in Namine - so that Marluxia can use Sora like a puppet to overthrow the Organization. Is that about right?"

"Lacking the finer details, but yeah," Axel admitted, leaning back and actually looking _relieved_ that she got it. But, to his amazement, she suddenly burst out laughing. "What could possibly be so funny right now?"

"If Marluxia thinks," Mizu somehow managed to say through her laughs, "that mucking around with Sora's memory will help him out. . . he doesn't know Sora very well! Namine will have a hard enough time. . . getting past that kid's thick skull!"

"You scare me sometimes," Axel said, giving her a sideways glance that did nothing except send her into even more gales of laughter. "This isn't something to be laughing about!" he snapped angrily. "Do you have any idea what would happen if Marluxia manages to pull this off?"

"Honestly," Mizu said, her laughs dying down finally, "no, I don't. You do of course realize that even if Marluxia _does_ manage to succeed with this mad-dash plan of his, it's still - what? Eleven to four? Not even Sora could beat those odds."

"You underestimate the power of the Keyblade," Axel pointed out.

"Doubt it," Mizu snorted. "The reason I'm all bandaged up is because of a Keyblade."

"Sora did that to you?" Axel asked, taken completelly aback. "I thought you two were friends!"

"No, no, Ansem did this to me with Riku's Keyblade." Mizu leaned back against the wall and sighed, looking up at Axel. "Looks like it's my turn to do some explaining. . ."

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Riku rolled out of the way of the latest blast, and used his last attack card to stab at Ansem's unprotected side, but Ansem jumped out of the way. Riku dug his hands into his pockets, hoping to find that Potion card again, but he had already used one and apparently, they didn't come back like the attack cards did.

"Oh, great," he growled under his breath, jumping back from another spell. Desperatelly, he dug into his pockets again, and came up with the attack cards, completelly reloaded!

"My turn!" he announced, launching into a triple-combo that drove Ansem back several paces. He repeated the combo several times before Ansem found a way to counter it - or strong enough cards to counter it, but either way, the result was the same.

Riku staggered from the latest parry of Ansem's, and tried to jump back out of the way of the next attack, but he didn't quite make it. Ansem clipped him on the chin, and Riku felt blood begin to trickle down from his mouth. But Ansem apparently had to reload his own cards, and Riku took advantage of this by stabbing out with the Soul Eater, catching the man in the stomach.

Ansem doubled over, then backed away several paces, blood trickling from more places than Riku could remember hitting.

"That all you've got?" Riku snapped, though he was panting and bleeding as well.

"It seems you are intent on resisting the darkness," Ansem said, straightening up and wiping blood from his mouth. "Very well. See with your own eyes."

Ansem held out something, and Riku glanced at them briefly before locking his eyes back on Ansem again. Then his gaze snapped back to Ansem's hand, and his eyes widened.

"What are those?" he asked, bewildered.

"They are cards crafted from your memory," Ansem replied. "Advance through the worlds they beget, and you will come to understand. . . Chasing the light will not distance you from the dark. You cannot run."

"Who's running?" Riku asked with a cocky grin. "Give me the cards. I'll enter those worlds. And in the end, if I haven't given up. . . I win."

Ansem scowled, but threw the cards to Riku nonetheless. Riku caught them before they could either hit him in the face or scatter, and looked at the first one. It showed a town in the middle of a desert, one that looked familiar. Agrabah.

"I have one more gift for you," Ansem said, and Riku looked up at him, confusion and no little apprehension on his face. Before he could react further, though, a column of green light erupted around him, and he felt something deep within himself changing slightly. . .

"What did you do?" Riku demanded angrilly as soon as the eery light abated.

"I tempered the darkness that remains in your heart," Ansem said matter-of-factly.

"What," Riku snarled, "you still think that I'd rely on darkness?"

"Whether or not you use it is your choice," Ansem pointed out, slowly fading from view. "I'll be waiting Riku . . . for you to come to your senses and yield to the darkness!"

Riku snorted and used one of Mizu's favorite phrases.

"Bite my ass, Ansem."

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A/N: I'll bet you never thought you'd hear Riku say that!


	8. Always and Forever

Chapter 8--Always and Forever

A/N: Blah. Nothing to say here. Move along.

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"I don't believe this," Axel exclaimed. "Three Keyblade masters?"

"There could even be more," Mizu pointed out, though she was nodding in confirmation. "I don't know how long the Keyblade has been around, or if there were other Masters before these, or if there are others out there who can wield it. There's just so much about the Keyblade that we don't know, it's impossible to say anything for sure."

Axel's eyes grew distant, and he muttered something to himself; something that sounded like a name. Mizu didn't know the man all that well, but she had long ago become adept at reading body language, and she could tell that Axel had something on his mind that was troubling him. She pushed off from where she was leaning against the wall and gently rested a hand on his arm, looking up into his eyes.

"Who's Roxas?" she asked softly.

Axel's eyes focused on her, and for a moment, it was almost as if he wanted to just spill everything to her, but he got control of himself and pulled away.

"I don't have time to explain," he said. "C'mon, we've got work to do."

"Got it," Mizu said, deciding that she'd hound Axel to spill the beans later. "Plans, boss?"

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"Something," Riku said absently, "tastes kind of funny. . . What is it? It's so familiar. . ."

Riku paused a moment, assessing the taste, trying to identify it. When he had it, he felt his spirits sink a little into despair.

"Darkness," he said, his throat tight. "The taste of darkness."

He closed his eyes tightly, as though he could squeeze the memories and the darkness out through them if he tried hard enough.

"What's happened to me. . . The darkness even seeps into my senses."

"Don't you worry, Riku," Mickey said, and Riku's eyes snapped open.

"Your Majesty!" Riku exclaimed as an image of the King manifested itself in front of him.

"What happened to you?" Riku asked, moving closer to his friend. "You're all. . . fuzzy."

"I can only send a little bit of my power here," Mickey admitted. "But I have a request."

"A request?" Riku echoed, not knowing if he should be worried or flattered. "From Your Majesty?"

"Riku," Mickey said, his voice taking on a commanding tone, and Riku found himself taking this "request" to heart, "don't let go of yourself just because darkness has a hold on you. Fight the darkness inside you! It won't be easy. . . But don't forget! Even in the darkest darkness, there's always a little light."

"Light," Riku repeated softly, knowing Mickey was right, and somehow unable to believe it at the same time, "within darkness?"

"You and I have seen it," Mickey reminded him gently. "The far-off, welcoming light inside the door to darkness. . . The light of Kingdom Hearts, Riku - it'll show you the way. Please don't give up. Believe in the light. That's all I ask."

"Okay," Riku said, agreeing to the request only half-heartedly. "I'll try my best."

"Yer best my arse!" Mizu said, glomping Riku from behind. "Don't worry, Mick, if he strays, I'll set 'im right!"

"I'll just bet you will," Mickey said, torn between exasperation and laughter. "And I'll try to find a way to reach you. Both of you. I'll come, I promise."

Mickey held out his hand to Riku, who somehow managed to move his own to accept it even though Mizu was still quite firmly latched around the upper half of his body. But right when he should have felt Mickey's hand in his own, he passed right through, and Riku blinked in surprise.

"You're," he exclaimed, slightly stunned, "an illusion? My hand passes right through you."

"Duh," Mizu muttered, her breath tickling Riku's ear. "I coulda told you that."

"But we shook hands," Mickey pointed out, either ignoring Mizu or unable to hear her, "in our hearts. We're connected, you and me."

"Yeah," Riku admitted, his spirits lifting again. "I guess so."

Mickey smiled at him, then gave Mizu a significant glance before he disappeared.

"I'll get movin' in a minute, slave master," Mizu grumbled, staring at the spot Mickey had been standing in. Kissing Riku on the cheek, she let go and allowed herself to slide to the ground. "You gotta shrink one of these days. It's an Olympic event just tryin' to kiss you!"

"Where have you been?" Riku asked, slightly hurt that she hadn't reappeared before this.

"Catchin' up on gossip," Mizu admitted. Riku gave her a look, one eyebrow quirked up and a disbelieving expression on his face, and she sighed. "Rik', I can't tell you. It would compromise the mission."

"What mission?" Riku demanded. "Why can't you tell me? Where have you been?"

"To answer your questions in order," Mizu said, crossing her arms stubbornly and glaring up at him, "the mission Mickey put me on; because it would make the mission harder than absolutelly necessary, maybe even impossible; and I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"I already answered that one, Riku," Mizu replied. "Look, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything about it. I shouldn't have even spilled as much as I have!"

"You haven't told me anything!" Riku protested angrilly. He was getting a little tired of how he was always the last one to learn anything where Mizu was involved.

"I told you that I was on it and that Mickey's the one who _put_ me on it," Mizu retorted, a hint of anger coloring her voice as well. "That's more info than my opponents need at the moment, thanks! I'm having a hard enough time as it is, without the rest of them finding out what the hell it is I'm up to! And you demanding to know isn't helping any. I _want_ to tell you, but I _can't_! Let's just leave it at that, alright?"

Riku sighed and gently grabbed her by the shoulders, looking straight into her sea-green eyes.

"At least life with you's never boring," he said, gently laying his forehead on hers.

"I know," Mizu agreed gaily, standing on tip-toe to kiss him on the nose. "Don't worry, it'll get even more exciting down the road."

"I'm doomed," Riku said melodramatically, but he couldn't avoid a teasing grin after saying it. "You're gonna drive me nuts, did you know that?"

"Short drive," Mizu pointed out, stealing a kiss again. "And this is gonna drive you even further towards the brink, but I gotta dash. Just came by to check up on ya and let you know I'm still alive."

"You mean there's a chance you won't be?" Riku asked, immediatelly concerned.

"The sarcasm just bounced right offa ya, didn't it?"

Riku tried to hold back a laugh, but it came out anyway as a snort, and he kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"Come back to me," he said, earning a grin from Mizu that was only slightly playful.

"Always and forever," she promised, hugging him quickly before running off.


	9. Changed

Chapter 9--Changed

A/N: Hi, it's me again. Miss me? Hey, sorry the update took so long, but I had to rewrite this chapter until I got it right. Well, you know, as right as it's going to get. Which I suppose isn't very, but that's not the point here. Originally, it sucked, but I think it's improved a lot. Mrr, I suppose I still need to write the scene where Mizu meets Namine, right? Or, I could leave you all in the dark about that until Riku meets her himself, and give y'all one helluva shocker or something! Mew, that sounds like more fun, I think I'll do that. Er, I just made a kitty noise again, didn't I? -sweatdrop-

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"Riku, I presume?" asked a man with long, light brown hair and a very pointed face that made him look vaguely like a weasel in Riku's opinion.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, immediatelly on his guard. "Are you with Ansem?"

"You are half correct," the man said. "Let's just say it's not the Ansem you know. He is Ansem and he is not - which is to say he's nobody."

"Nobody, huh?" Riku asked. "Sorry, but riddles aren't my thing. Try making some sense."

"He belongs to neither the light nor the dark," the strange man replied, "but walks the twilight between. As do I. And for that matter - "

Riku tensed and couldn't quite hold back a snarl, knowing instinctively what this man was going to say next. When Riku's hand darted to the hilt of his Soul Eater, the man laughed, a condescending smirk on his overly-pointed face.

"Ha ha, that's right," the man said contemptuously. "We have much in common."

"Maybe we do," Riku said, then tensed and did his level best not to snarl too much. "But so waht? Is that an invitation to join your club? Yeah, there's darkness inside me, just like you said. But darkness is my enemy! And you are, too, for making everything around here reek of it!"

"Oh ho, so it's a fight you want," the man mocked, feigning surprise. He grinned and pulled out his weapons, settling into a defensive position. "Very well - a fight you shall get!"

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"I really hate leaving him in the dark like that."

"He should be used to being in the dark, Mizu."

"Knock it off, Axel, I'm serious."

"So am I."

Axel crossed his arms and leveled an unreadable look at the young woman across from him. He had known her almost a year ago when she arrived practically on the doorstep of Castle Oblivion, half-dead and with no recollection of her past. The only way anyone knew her name was because it was inscribed on the sheath of one of her knives, which had been confiscated for security purposes and never returned. When she regained conciousness, she had been incredibly quiet, almost as if she were caught in a permanent daydream, and took to wandering around the halls, watching everything that went on. Axel and Larxene were the only ones who knew of her initially, but eventually Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen discovered her. Between the five of them, they somehow managed to keep her out of sight of the higher-ups in the Organization until she was healthy and fit enough to leave and survive. While they didn't have hearts, Axel, Larxene, Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen still managed to care for her well-being. She had been a remarkable young girl, quiet, and seemed to have a calming effect on the five.

Now, though, she was almost a completely different person. She was loud, rambunctious, and unpredictable. She showed an attitude that was so far removed from the sweet little girl she had been previously that Axel was forced to wonder if she was the same person. Something about her had changed. She had a self-confidence that was frightening, and a strong sense of loyalty. Almost the exact opposite of the Mizu he had known.

"You know," Axel said, breaking the intense silence that had stretched between them, "you've really changed, kid."

"No," Mizu said, looking off down the hall and avoiding Axel's gaze, "I haven't changed. I've regained myself."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Axel asked, his curiosity piqued. Mizu had always been an odd kid, but this behavior was so far beyond just plain _odd_ that it was bordering on disturbing.

"I remember who I am now, Axel," Mizu admitted softly, sounding more like the girl Axel had known. "The person you knew from a year ago was just a fabrication, nothing more. She was someone to use my body while I remained hidden, protecting myself. The nickname I gained on the Islands was not far from the truth. Then, I really was nothing more than a shadow of my true self. Insubstantial, and incomplete. I remember everything of my former life, and of who I truly am. I am a warrior for the light; I battle against the darkness. I go where I am needed, a mercenary, performing whatever duties I may be required to do. And yet, I walk such a fine line between light and darkness, I am actually standing on both sides of it. One foot bathed in light, the other steeped in darkness." She closed her eyes and dropped her head down onto her chest, sighing.

"Who are you, really?" Axel asked. "I knew you a year ago, and compared to what you are now... Well, there is no comparison. Are you that quiet little girl that somehow managed to bring out the good in us, or are you this 'mercenary' you claim you are?"

"Truthfully," Mizu said, opening her eyes and staring down the hall again, "I'm neither. I am a murderer, a thief, a terrorist. And yet, I am a warrior for the light. I go where I am needed, fighting back the darkness everywhere I go. I keep others from falling into darkness when I can, and I am often forced to destroy those I have failed. Riku, so far, is the only exception. He... It doesn't matter. Who or what I am has no relevance to this mission."

"Which one?" Axel asked. Mizu looked up at him, her eyes wide in surprise. "I know about the mission Mickey has you on. Don't worry," he said, holding up his hands in a calming gesture when the panic in her eyes intensified, "I'm the only one who knows. And I promise, I won't do anything to jeapordize it. In fact, it works quite nicely with mine."

"Alright," Mizu said with a sigh, relaxing. "I trust you, Axel. What do you need me to do?"

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"Ha ha ha," Vexen laughed, seemingly unscathed. "This battle has made it clear. The darkness coursing through you is a tremendous power. All you needed was the right provocation."

"Great," Riku snarled, completely out of breath even though he had beaten Vexen soundly. "So this was a trick?"

"Precisely," Vexen confirmed mockingly. "Your fiery reaction provided exactly the data I needed. You have my thanks, Riku!"

With that, Vexen offered a mocking wave in farewell, and vanished right before Riku's eyes. Riku leapt forward, hoping to catch the man and ask him a few (dozen) questions, with his sword if necessary, but he didn't make it in time.

"Get back here!" he yelled. "Data for what? Just what is going on around here?" The last was said in a whisper, his head hanging as despair began to sink in. Then he remembered his promise to Mickey and Mizu, and his resolve hardened. He had promised not to give up, and he was going to stick to that promise! He pulled out the world cards he had yet to use, and stared at the one on top. Never Land. A world every kid knew of, where you never grew up. Riku wished that were true, that there was somewhere he could go that he could hold on to the childhood that was rapidly slipping through his fingers. Then he remembered something Mizu had told him once.

"I was never really a child. I killed people - dozens of them! - by the time I was six. I envy you, actually. You got to be a kid. I've never had that luxury."

Suddenly, his lot in life didn't seem so bad. Compared to the life Mizu had led, he had it pretty easy. All he had to do was avoid falling into darkness. That seemed pretty easy all of a sudden. Just keep fighting, keep beating back the darkness within himself, and outside himself, too. He'd managed to do that so far, right?

Right?

Riku passed throught the next two worlds, unable to answer that question.


	10. Looking In A Mirror

Chapter 10--Looking In A Mirror

A/N: Sorry for the delay again, but my muse kinda abandoned me for a while there and I just couldn't get anything done! Now, I'm gonna admit right from the off that I don't like how this chapter turned out, but I don't really want to change it becuase I have future scenes in mind that kind of require this chapter to stay the way it is. Also, I've started re-rewriting my previous fics so that they're more consistent with _this_ one as well as future fics. I've already finished the first chapter, and I'm going to be merging all of the previous fics into one called "Hikari." When I get _that_ up, I want you to take that fic as the "official," because it'll make more sense that way with future fics I'll be writing. Mizu's changed a lot, physically, mentally, and just about any other way you can possibly think of. And I've finally made some decisions about her past that are at odds with some things I've written before, but I'm not gonna say what they are, and in any case, some of them won't be revealed in "Hikari." I am writing an _FF7_ fic showing Mizu as Cloud and the others knew her nine years ago, but this is written assuming that _Kingdom Hearts_ is somehow consistent with all the other _Final Fantasies_, and I know that's a big assumption to make and incredibly difficult to prove, but I kind of _need_ to make that assumption, or a lot of my work in making these fics will just completely fall apart and wind up as a total waste of time as I'm trying to get the _fics_ consistent with the _games_ and -:sighs:- yeah. Anyway, since I'm doing like 20 projects at a time here, you _know_ there's going to be delays in this one, I apologize for that, and I'll do my best to be more consistent. And so you're warned, I might have a job soon, so that's gonna cut down on my time as well, and that'll mean even _more_ delays, and I'm sorry about that, too, but I want to actually be able to _buy _Christmas presents for people this year instead of jaming up even _more_ of my time with drawing/artsy projects for them. I know that sounds like a stupid excuse, but I also really need to save up for college, moving out, getting a car, and the rest of the "leaving the nest" shit. So, sorry for any further delays, I'm doing my best here, and thank you for understanding, I really appreciate it! Huggles to all of you!

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"What the," Riku exclaimed, somehow catching the "hell" he severely wanted to add on the end of it. He stared at the apparitions, face blank in amazement, eyes slightly widened. "What are you supposed to be?" he managed to get out without using any of Mizu's foul language.

"Yeah, really," Mizu echoed, hands on her hips. She had joined up with him just a few moments ago when he'd left Traverse Town, and she wasn't at all amused by the sight that greated them now.

"Surprised?" one of the _others_ sneered. "I guess you would be."

The other two stepped closer, giving Mizu and Riku a clear view of them. The others looked exactly like Mizu and Riku, only there was one significant difference: Mizu's copy was very obviously a guy.

"I bet it's not every day you meet your twins," Riku's other said with a cocky smirk that was a perfect duplicate of Riku's own.

"Oh, lordy, you have _got_ to be bloody kidding me," Mizu groaned, staring into the sea-green eyes of her other. "Is this some kinda sick joke?"

"Too shocked to speak?" Riku's clone said to him. "This should come as a relief, then: I'm a replica of you that Vexen made."

"What," Riku mocked, returning the smirk and crossing his arms arrogantly, "you mean a fake me?"

"I didn't mean 'fake,'" his clone shot back, apparently with the same quick temper that Riku had. Mizu gave her copy a look that said, "So you have to deal with this too, huh?" and earned a shrug from the other. She sighed and shook her head as Riku's clone continued with his ego-rant. "Just because you're real doesn't mean you're better! We share the same body and the same talents."

"It's the same for you and me, Mizu," the other replica said. "Only with some minor adjustments."

Mizu and her clone said "Obviously" at the exact same time, in the exact same tone, with the exact same rolling of their eyes and amused smirk. Riku and his clone shot them a look that said "Knock it off," causing them to stiffle laughter behind their hands in identical movements. Riku and his clone rolled _their_ eyes, and returned to scowling at each other.

"There is one easy way to tell us apart, though," Riku's clone continued as if nothing had happened.

"Aside from the obvious," Mizu's clone muttered under his breath, causing Mizu to either choke back a laugh or get Riku mad at her, but she wound up doing something in between, jamming a fist down her throat and choking on her smothered giggles. Riku's clone plowed on as though there hadn't been an interruption.

"Know what that is? Unlike you, I'm not afraid of anything."

"Are you calling me a coward?" Riku snapped, hands clenching into fists. Mizu quickly grabbed him by the arm to stop him from pouncing on the clone and pounding him into a bloody pulp, all traces of mirth gone in a lightning-quick change of mood.

"You _are_ a coward," the clone retorted, seeing that Mizu wasn't about to let go any time soon. "You're afraid of the dark! The darkness inside scares you witless."

"Look," Riku snapped, still struggling against Mizu's grip, "I-- "

"Calm down!" Mizu snapped, running right over his words.

"But _I'm_ different," Riku's clone continued. "I embrace the darkness. I can make it do whatever I want." The clone did that uncanny echoe of Riku's cocky grin again, glaring right into Riku's eyes. "In other words... I can wipe the floor with you!"

"I'd like to see you try," Mizu spat, then yelped and let Riku go as her clone's fist smashed into her face. "You fight dirty too, huh?" she asked, dancing back a few paces and wiping her blood from her split lip. She licked it off of her hand as a feral grin crossed her face, and she dropped into an offencive crouch. "This is gonna be _so_ much fun..."

Riku jumped back as his clone swung at him with a sword identical to the Soul Eater, and watched as it swished harmlessly over Mizu's head. His eyes locked back onto his opponent, and he barely caught Mizu lunging at her clone like a striking cat as he brought out his Soul Eater to parry another attack.

Mizu's not-so-significant other twisted out of her way at the last minute, drawing out his knives and aiming a slice at her exposed side. She somehow managed to writhe away from it in mid-air, having anticipated that exact move, and pulled a small kunai out of somewhere, throwing it expertly at her copycat. He caught it deftly, and she took the brief moment of his distraction to swipe his feet out from under him and dance out of range, narrowly avoiding an answering swipe as he went down.

Riku knocked back his fake with a kick to the gut, and aimed a slice at the other's head, only to have it blocked by the replica Soul Eater. He jumped up just in time to avoid the clone's attempt to knock his feet out from under him, and snapped another kick into his face. It connected, the clone's nose breaking audibly and blood spurting all over the place, sending him reeling back onto his heels.

Mizu pulled out Matataku, her favorite blade that was somewhere between a long knife and a short sword, and aimed a horizontal slice at almost point-blank range at her clone's eyes. He leaned back out of the way and aimed a stab with his Kirameku - a slightly shorter knife with a curved blade - at her bandaged stomach, aiming for a spot that he must have _known_ was tender and vulnerable. Mizu lurched back out of the way, flinging a small shuriken at him in the process.

Riku blocked and parried, trying to anticipate the other's moves, only to realise that they were _his_ moves. He gritted his teeth, growling low in his throat in frustration, then did something he would _never_ have considered if he had been fighting anyone else. He dodged the next few blows, closing in on his clone, and slammed into the other with his shoulder, knocking the breath from not-Riku's lungs and laying him out flat on his back.

Mizu ducked under a slice from her other and head-butted him hard in the gut, driving the breath from _his _lungs. But her clone doubled over, regained his breath with a speed that amazed her, and punched her hard in the sore spot under the bandages. The spot the Cure materia could never completely mend...

Mizu had a hard time catching her own breath as her gut was now throbbing painfully in time with her pulse, and earned a fist in her nose for her efforts. She staggered back, certain her nose was broken _again_, and fumbled to find her Cure materia to fix it before she wound up flat on her own back. She needn't have worried - when Riku's replica was prone, he dove right in to help her, catching the other in the back of the head with the hilt of Soul Eater.

"Are you okay?" he asked, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She nodded, then cast a level 2 Cure spell on herself, hoping that the wound in her stomach would close more this time and wincing as her nose mended itself, then wiped blood from her face with the back of her hand.

"I am now," she said, sliding Matataku back into it's sheath. Riku patted her shoulder absently, turning to grin maliciously at his clone, who had rolled over onto his stomach and begun climbing to his feet.

"Hey, _fake_," Riku taunted. "I thought you were gonna wipe the floor with me."

"Go on, laugh," the clone snarled back, now on his knees. "I'm still new. I'll get stronger and stronger, just you wait. It won't be long before I surpass you. Next time we fight, you're finished!"

"Sorry," Riku spat, readying the Soul Eater, "you had your chance. I'm finishing you first, right here!"

Riku lunged at his clone, but the other, Mizu's clone, jumped in and knocked him back with a wave of dark energy that melded with a similar blast from Riku's clone. Not-Mizu helped him to his feet, but the clone managed to stand under his own power, and laugh scornfully as Mizu ran to Riku's side, checking to make sure he was all right.

"It's nice to have darkness on my side," the clone laughed, walking slowly towards Mizu and Riku. "How could you be so scared of something so thrilling! You're missing out."

"Shut up!" Riku and Mizu snapped at the same time, but the clone only laughed more.

"So now the coward is playing tough guy. That's cute. See you next time, Real Thing. Try not to miss me."

Riku's clone wrapped his arm around Mizu's clone's waist, and they turned, retreating down the hall. Mizu's clone threw a lewd and _very_ suggestive wink over his shoulder at them, then wrapped his arm around the waist of Riku's clone, laying his head on the other's shoulder as they walked away.

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A/N: Can you _get_ point-blank range with knives? O.O


End file.
